WHAT EVER THE WEATHER!

With just a month to go until the biggest football tournament in the World begins, attention is turning, not just to the teams and venues, but to the weather!!

Heat, thunderstorms and even poor air quality from wildfires are all features of summer across the United States, Canada and Mexico, where the tournament will be held. Humidity may also be a key factor in any disruption to the World Cup caused by the weather. Fifa has acknowledged that hot weather could be an issue and, as part of its "commitment to player welfare", has introduced mandatory three-minute cooling breaks in each half of every match for the tournament.

Image source,Getty

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Thunderstorms during the Fifa Club World Cup in 2025 meant there were multiple games delayed

During the Fifa Club World Cup last year, six football matches were disrupted by heat and thunderstorms, including a two-hour delay during a match between Chelsea and Benfica. It prompted Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager at the time, to say the US is "probably not the right place to do the competition".

Image caption,When temperature, humidity, wind speeds and the strength of the sunshine are factored in, players in these World Cup host cities are at greatest risk of experiencing extreme levels of heat stress on the body. When you add humidity into the equation, making it more difficult for the body to cool itself effectively, things start to feel hotter still. There are two heat indexes you will get to hear a lot about this summer. One is the 'feels like', which is how your body feels the heat rather than what the thermometer says. In Miami, for example, a typical air temperature of 32C (90F) in summer would regularly feel like 43C (109F). There is also the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which assesses physical heat stress on the body. A WBGT of around 28C (82F) is widely considered a threshold at which heat stress becomes a significant concern for elite athletes. In a 2025 study published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, scientists concluded that "14 out of the 16 host locations exceeded WBGT's of 28C (82F) in a summer afternoon.

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There are six host cities (Miami, Houston, Dallas, Monterrey, Kansas City and Atlanta) where the TEMPERATURES could feasibly reach at least 32C (90F) during the afternoon which would be considered as extreme heat stress, where the body really struggles to keep itself cool. To reduce these risks, matches are generally scheduled outside the hottest part of the day, with many kick-offs taking place in the late afternoon or evening. Scotland's group C game against Brazil in Miami, for example, will have a kick-off time of 18:00 ET (23:00 BST). Some venues, including stadiums in Houston and Dallas, also have retractable roofs and climate control to moderate conditions. Summer heatwaves are also a common occurrence in North America and Mexico where temperatures can rise 10C (18F) or more above average, potentially pushing conditions into much more challenging territory for both players and fans.

In New York for example, the location of this year's World Cup final on 19 July at 15:00 ET (20:00 BST), a typical heatwave could result in air temperatures in the mid-30sC (mid 90F) and WBGT of around 30C (86F) leading to extreme heat stress.

Image source,Getty

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Thunderstorms will immediately stop play at US host cities for at least 30 minutes 

Thunderstorms may present the greatest potential for visible disruption to matches. Summer thunderstorms are widespread but particularly common in cities such as Miami, Houston and Atlanta, where warm, humid conditions can trigger frequent afternoon and evening storms. If lightning is detected within 10 miles of a stadium, US official recommendation and standard practice is that play is suspended until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike.

Recently the Miami F1 Grand Prix was brought forward by three hours due to the risk of thunderstorms and lightning!! The circuit sits alongside Hard Rock Stadium, which is set to host multiple World Cup matches. While match times could be adjusted, thunderstorms are inherently difficult to predict precisely, making them one of the more unpredictable risks facing organisers.

Wildfires and poor air quality

Image source,Getty

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Wildfire smoke brought very poor air quality to the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles last year

The 2026 wildfire season has started early in the US with an above average number of wildfires already burning. In 2023, large wildfires in Canada led to smoke spreading across much of North America, affecting cities thousands of miles away.

Air quality reached hazardous levels in parts of the United States, including New York, leading to widespread disruption and the cancellation of sporting events. There is no fixed Fifa threshold for air quality at which matches must be stopped so any decision to delay or suspend play would be made using real-time conditions and local public health advice.

What could all this mean for fans? For players and organisers, managing extreme weather will be an ongoing part of the tournament. For fans, the effects may be felt in different ways. High temperatures could make conditions in stadiums and fan zones uncomfortable, while thunderstorms could lead to delays or temporary evacuations. But delays and postponements could also mean transport plans may be disrupted, with matches finishing late into the night with hotel bookings also impacted. For fans watching at home in the UK, the time difference already means many matches will take place in the evening or overnight - any weather-related interruptions could extend viewing and make it a very late night for some.

Charlie George, Gordon Smith, Moscow!!

Today is the 21st May.... and I have just come back from playing "Walking Football" at Penistone Church FC....have a look in South Yorkshire County. On this date in 1966.....

there was an unusual fixture at Highbury. A young apprentice by the name of Charlie George was one of those who helped turn Arsenal's former home into a boxing arena. The occasion was a World Heavyweight title bout between Henry Cooper and defending champ Muhammad Ali. Over 40,000 were present to witness Our 'Enery suffer a sixth round defeat with a badly cut eye

Football On This Day – 21st May 1983
The 1982/83 season was a disappointing one for Brighton. Their first stint as a top flight club (it lasted 4 seasons) came to an end when they finished rock bottom of the old First Division. But they did reach their first ever FA Cup final and on May 21st 1983 they had the chance of making history by becoming the first relegated club to win the competition....and they so nearly did it. With just seconds of extra time left against Manchester United Brighton's Gordon Smith looked certain to score and Peter Jones' BBC radio commentary of the moment passed into history - 'And Smith must score....and he hasn't scored. And Bailey has saved it'  The final whistle then went confirming the 2-2 draw and five days later the replay at Wembley ended with Brighton being thumped 4-0. That Gordon Smith miss and Peter Jones' words will forever be with us and they were even remembered in the name of a Brighton fanzine (which is no longer with us).


Football On This Day – 21st May 2008 For the first all-English Champions' League Final, the fans of Chelsea and Manchester United had to make the long journey to Moscow. It was also a late night - it was 7.45pm kick off for the British TV viewer but in Moscow it was 10.45pm and with the match going to extra time and penalties the cup didn't get presented until the early hours. It was presented to Manchester United who won 6-5 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1.

THE DELL-AN ANNIVERSARY

https://historicsouthampton.co.uk/

Look up Russell Masters

19th May 2001 The word most often used to describe Southampton's former home at the Dell was 'cramped' and a cramped capacity crowd of 15,252 saw a dramatic and memorable end to their 103 years at the ground. In the last competitive match at the Dell, Arsenal were the visitors for a Premier League fixture with the Gunners twice taking the lead. Hassan Kachloul equalised twice for the Saints before 32-year-old Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier came on as a sub and scored an 89th minute winner. Amazing! A week later Southampton entertained Brighton in a friendly for the very last match at the ground - Brighton United had been Southampton's first opponents at The Dell on 3rd September 1898. 

The stadium was opened in September 1898, with the inaugural match on 3 September being against Brighton United. The first goal at the stadium was scored by Watty Kaye, with the others from Abe Hartley, Jim McKinsey and Tom Smith, as Southampton won 4–1. It hosted an international match in 1901, as England defeated Ireland 3–0 in the 1900-1 in the British Home Championship...for those of you who don't understand that last bit it was an annual competition played between the  Home Countries.
In 1927, the original West Stand was demolished (together with the club secretary's house) and the new West Stand was built. This was designed by Archidald Leitch one of the greatest football stand designers of the day, who had also designed stands at neighbour Fratton Park, Roker Park and at Goodison Park. (worth having a look back at the stands before their modernisation)

A year later, on the last day of the 1928–29 season a dropped cigarette caused a fire which destroyed the East Stand. A replacement stand was built which mirrored the West Stand, increasing the ground capacity to approximately 30,000. 

On 30 November 1940, a German bomb fell on the stadium during The Blitz, creating an 18-foot crater in the Milton Road penalty area. While the pitch was being restored, Southampton had to play their remaining fixtures in 1940–41 away, although in February 1941, they played a "home" War Cup tie with Brentford at Fratton Park, Portsmouth. In March 1941, an explosion of munitions stored at the ground caused a major fire in the West Stand although this was rebuilt soon afterwards. At the start of the 1941–42 season, they played their home games at Dew Lane, Eastleigh, before the Dell was re-opened in October 1941.

The Dell, the much-loved home of Southampton FC from 1898 until 2001. I wrote a short history of the stadium a few years ago: https://historicsouthampton.co.uk/the-dell/

HUNTER, HEELEYfc, BOSTON ONEIDIASfc

The Summer this year, in South Yorkshire has brought football fans to gather in local pubs, clubs and friends houses to view the spectacle unfolding in American Stadiums, the very best of the FIFA World Cup, showing speed, skill and precision. The competition began in Sheffield, developed in Scotland and travelled across the oceans, especially to the USA. It was in Sheffield that the game developed from a casual kick around from Mob "Football" to a serious event between two teams of around eleven people.

Structure began to emerge on once muddy fields and then on to organised spaces, marked out, with goals and eventually a referee! Sheffield Norfolk was one of those organised clubs coming together with scientific play in the 1864-5 season. The Sheffield team was described as playing "scientifically" and "kicking the ball to one another, to get round their opponents". This was happening two years before the modern Scottish club, Queen's Park, was founded in Glasgow. The Scots pioneered the "pyramid" and triangle passing system, that has developed through the decades.

An Englishman, Jack Hunter, was one of the key English players who used tactical development, playing for Heeley FC in the 1870s. Some time before the "short-passing" system was developed, using "space" efficiently, a more expansive and deliberate style emerged, spread across the full width of the cricket pitch. The players were positioned over the space which was quite large, of course, and there was less running needed, the ball did the work! Sorry, not a great picture!

Jack Hunter moved across the Pennines to Lancashire, to Blackburn, where he became coach and player in a team of local tradesmen, that won the FA Cup in 1883, the first "working class" club to achieve this. The club was called Blackburn Olympic. The Sheffield style of long passes to the wings, long ball directly down the pitch and precise crosses was clearly effective! George Wilson of Swinton played in every round and scored in the first five. As English men (families) migrated to America, the passing game was spread abroad. 

In 1905 and again in 1909, a touring side known as "The Pilgrims" went on a "high profile" tour to the Americas and Canada, hoping to spread knowledge of the game further west! as soccer had fallen by the wayside as American Football began to appeal more to the Americans. 

Boston's Oneidias FC had been the first American to favour the "rugby/football" variant in 1862, in a team of Prep-school graduates. The first English Association rules match was played in 1866, nine years after Sheffield FC was founded, the oldest known cub in England.

The American Football Association and the National Association Football League both closed in 1898 as the "home grown" Americam Football gained more appeal. The Pilgrims, made up from amateurs were brought in to help popularise the "carpet" football game as Americans called it! 

Behind the scenes was Frederick Milnes from Wortley (a village near Sheffield and Barnsley), who organised tours and began to "advertise" the game. Helping was Jack Hudson another local from nearby Brightside. Across the Atlantic, cities mirrored South Yorkshire in grit and graft, and so football found new locations, such as Detroit, St Louis, Chicago and Philadelphia, industrial cities. The Pilgrims played 17 games there in 1905, with spectators numbering 15,000 a game. Such was the success of the tour, that the AFA reopened the following year, with a second tour in 1909. 21 games were arranged in the large industrial cities. 

1996-97 SEASON: NOT A FAVOURITE FOR MIDDLESBROUGH!

Just just been watching footy on the telly...it's after 5pm..have a guess which match! and now..

The 1997 FA Cup final was the 116th final. It took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley and was contested by Chelsea and Middlesbrough, the Teesside club appearing in its first FA Cup Final. Chelsea won the match, 2–0, to win the FA Cup for the second time, the first having come in 1970. It was also the club's first major trophy in 26 years.

The match was the first major honour in the career of most Chelsea's players, but for Mark Hughes, it was the fourth time that he had featured in an FA Cup winning side, having played on the winning Man Utd teams of 1985, 1990 and 1994. It was Middlesbrough's second defeat in a Cup Final in the 1996-7 season, they had also lost the Football League Final to Leicester City the previous month and they were also relegated from the Premier League.

Middlesbrough ended a disappointing season with a 2-0 FA Cup Final 1997 defeat against Chelsea! Chelsea's first goal came from Roberto Di Matteo after just 42 seconds! which at the time was the quickest FA Cup Final goal - since beaten by Louis Saha for Everton in 2009 (25 seconds). Chelsea's victory saw their manager, Ruud Gullit, become the first foreign manager to lead his team to an FA Cup triumph - now we wonder when there will be another winning team with an English manager!  Ha, Ha, 

Apart from being beaten in their first FA Cup Final, the 1996/97 season had also seen Middlesbrough beaten in their first League Cup Final (by Leicester) - and they suffered relegation from the Premier League! Busy disappointing moments!! 

The club's Premier League Position was 19th including 3 points deducted for postponing a match without FL permission!! 

Middlesbrough called off their Premier League game at Blackburn without permission the day before the scheduled date of Saturday 21st December 1996. They claimed that they were unable to field a competitive team as they had 23 players unavailable because of injury, illness or suspension!! Blackburn argued that they should have been awarded the points but the match was ordered to be played and Middlesbrough suffered a 3 point deduction and a £50,000 fine. The loss of the points saw them relegated . AND.....

** Middlesbrough were drawn away to Conference side Hednesford Town in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup but the venue was switched to their Riverside Stadium.

+ Middlesbrough's Coca Cola Cup (League Cup) Final against Leicester was played at Wembley and the final replay at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday FC.

++ Middlesbrough's FA Cup semi-final against Chesterfield was played at Old Trafford, Manchester United FC, and the replay at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday FC.

Season 1996-7 Played 38 Home W 8 D 5 L 6 F34 A25 Away W2 D 7 L 10 F17 A35 Total Pts 39 19th

FA CUP FINAL TODAY....A FEW YEARS AGO too!!

 OKay, OKay, so we could research the FA Cup Finals that Manchester City have played in, but I am leaving that for a while....on this day in 1998, Arsene Wegner's French Revolution at Arsenal began to pay dividends when The Gunners defeated Newcastle Utd at Wembley, in the FA Cup Final, thanks to goals from Marc Overmars and Nicholas Anelka...remember them? The victory meant that the club had secured their second League and Cup Double after Wegner became the first foreign manager to win the League in just his second season at Highbury. Of course, much has changed since then! Hope you can read the team sheet!

Can you read this? If not try the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_FA_Cup_final

SPURS AND BILL

May 15th, 1963, Tottenham Hotspur, helped Britain to join Europe in football, by becoming the first British club to WIN a major European Trophy, when the Spurs beat favourites, Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the European Cup Winners Cup. It was contested between Tottenham Hotspur of England and the defending champions, Atlético Madrid of Spain. The match was held at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Tottenham won the match, 5–1 thanks to goals by Jimmy Greaves (2), John White and Terry Dyson (2). 

The Spurs of course, had won the FA Cup at Wembley on May 5th, beating Burnley 3-1,  in front of a full Stadium (100,000 folks). Just thought I would mention this bit of Spurs' history, bless them! and then get back to today...well it is MAY! 

This was the beginning of a Spurs' "hey day"??(day??) MAYBE a period when under manager, Bill Nicholson, the Spurs would go on to win more trophies for a decade (or so) under his guidance.

Bill Nicholson, Mr Tottenham (January 26 1919 – October 23 2004). Player! and more.....he said,

"It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory."

Born on this day in 1919, Bill Nicholson’s contribution to the history of Tottenham Hotspur will surely never be surpassed.

Joining the Club as a teenage member of the ground staff in 1936, Bill went on to serve Spurs in almost every capacity – as a player, coach, assistant manager and manager – across a remarkable 38-year period. During that time, he was part of Arthur Rowe’s famous ‘push and run’ team that lifted our first Division One title in 1950/51 and then, as manager, led the team to eight major honors.

As a player, Bill made his professional debut in October 1938 and went on to make 341 appearances for the Club. He was a key figure in the back-to-back title successes of 1949/50 and 1950/51, helping Spurs win the Division Two championship followed by the Club’s first ever First Division title.

He missed just one league match during the 1950/51 title-winning season and earned an England cap in May 1951, scoring with his first touch against Portugal.

Always interested in coaching and development, Bill was appointed coach in 1955 before taking over as manager in October 1958. What followed was the most successful period in the Club’s history.

Under Bill’s leadership, Tottenham Hotspur became the first Club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double in 1960/61. Further honours followed, with FA Cup wins in 1962 and 1967, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963 – making Spurs the first British Club to win a European trophy and the UEFA Cup in 1972 and Football League Cup triumphs in 1971 and 1973.

During this era, Bill assembled a team that played with style, confidence and attacking intent. After stepping away from his managerial role in 1974, Bill returned to the Club in 1976, working behind the scenes in a scouting and advisory capacity, for a further 21 years.

Bill lived close to White Hart Lane for much of his life and passed away on October 23, 2004, aged 85.

Never forgotten, Bill Nicholson.

William Edward Nicholson OBE (26 January 1919 – 23 October 2004)